14 



CALIFORNIA WIN'ES. 



The following are the imports and exports of wines at San Francisco in 

 1863 and 1864, taken from the Mercantile Gazette of that city: 



IMPORTS. 



1863. 



Hogsheads 



Pipes 



Casks (60 gallons) 

 Half-casks 



20 



21 



5,444 



830 



Quarter-casks 1,600 



72 

 432 



.Barrels 

 Octaves 



Baskets 31,257 



Cases 48,640 



1864. 1863. 1864. 



572 Pipes and casks 856 1,485 



31 Half-casks 92 96 



7,191 Quarter-casks . . 71 42 



1,757 Barrels 151 147 



2,534 Octaves 128 40 



595 Kegs 69 53 



1,188 Cases 8,994 9,481 



48,574 Baskets 2,235 2,614 



65,217 ■ Packages 23 317 



The imports have evidently increased much more than the exports, and 

 hence, even for California consumption, the home market invites to an increased 

 wine production. The assurance which the act of Congress has given, by its 

 increased duties on foreign wines, that the home market will be at the command 

 of the home production, is infusing a greatly increased vigor in viue-planting in 

 California. The fact, too, that it is a crop that will seldom be much injured by 

 the occasional extreme droughts of the California climate, and that its habitual 

 dryness during the summer is highly advantageous, will also give an additional 

 stimulant to grape cultivation. The lesson taught by the recent drought, that 

 thorough farming is the safest, and to be thorough it must be limited to small 

 farms, will also aid this crop. With these motives to the full development of the 

 great natural advantages that California has as a wine-producing country, we 

 may anticipate such an advance as will make it the great wine country of the 

 world ; and as this advance progresses, to draw sucli attention as will increase 

 correspondingly the demand for its wines. 



The Gazette says : '' As soon as it was known that Congress had passed the 

 before-mentioned act [the tariff act of last session] new life was spread through 

 the vine plantations, and millions of vines will this year be put out. The Bu- 

 ena Vista Vinecultural Society alone plants 700,000 vines, principally of foreign 

 varieties. Every man in Sonora county increases his vineyard. As far as we 

 can hear, that valley will plant at least one million vines, and we feel confident 

 that California will this year plant no less than five million vines. How great 

 an increase this is will be seen from the State Register of 1859. In 1856 there 

 were planted in this State 1,540,134; in 1858, 4,054,548. The standing com- 

 mittee of the legislature of 1862 reports the probable amount of 200,000 vines 

 added since then, admitting that little had been planted since 1858. The Avine 

 produced in 1864 throughout the State will not fall short of 4,000,000 gallons, 

 and brandy about 200,000 gallons. 



"As to the product of 1864, we remark that the quantity of grapes produced 

 all through California last year fell short of expectation on account of excessive 

 dryness. The quality of wine produced is, on the average, better than of 

 many previous years. Up to the present date about 200 pipes of the new Avhite 

 and red wines have been shipped from the southern counties to this market, and 

 find ready sale at 35 to 50 cents per gallon." 



Every country should conform its general crops to the peculiar climate it has. 

 Occasional and very limited ones may be grown where peculiar causes may 

 render them profitable. Thus the grape in the western States, except in cer- 

 tain localities, where the general climate and soil do not exist, could never be 

 made a general crop, because its moisture and richness induce diseases which 



